The present invention relates to an accessory for an archery bow and more particularly to an arrow rest for an archery bow.
Arrow rests for archery bows are commonly used and provided to support an arrow before and during release. Arrow rests are usually positioned on a lateral extension of the mid portion of the bow and permit the archer to steady and accurately aim and release the arrow from the bow.
When an arrow is released or launched from a bow, it is quickly accelerated from a resting state to a velocity of perhaps several hundred feet per second. The propulsive force, upon release, may also impart a lateral, upward torque to the arrow causing the arrow to deviate from its desired flight path. The arrow may contact the arrow rest during release which can detrimentally effect the intended flight path. Accordingly, it is preferred that an arrow rest not disturb or interfere with the intended flight of the arrow, even if the arrow engages the arrow rest during launching of the arrow.
A number of prior art patents are directed to arrow rest assemblies. U.S. Pat. No. 3,935,854 shows a device for increasing the accuracy when the vertical depressibility of the arrow rest arms effectively dampens the vertical oscillation of the arrow.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,093 discloses another form of arrow rest which includes an arrow launcher support comprising a relatively thin metal strip having a rectangular shape portion at one end and a U-shape notch at the other end for supporting the arrow shaft.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,137,006 shows an improved arrow rest having an arm adjustably mounted to the bow handle and a vertically depressible arrow launcher support connected to the arm and moveable to and from the arm by a shuttle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,529,049 shows an arrow rest assembly for use in archery that does not disturb the intended flight path of the arrow even if the arrow contacts the arrow rest.
Other patents of interest in this area are U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,253,633; 5,365,915; 5,685,267 and 6,021,769. A problem with many prior art designs is that they rely on plungers that do not quickly and effectively clear out of the path of the arrow.
Briefly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an arrow rest that will quickly drop out of the path of the arrow once released to eliminate any possible disturbance or interference that may adversely effect the intended flight path of the arrow.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an arrow rest which is adapted to be used with bows of different types and may be utilized with both right- and left-handed archery bows.
The present invention is directed to an arrow rest for archery use that does not disturb the intended flight path of the arrow as it will rapidly drop or pivot out of the way as the arrow is released.
The arrow rest of the present invention includes an elongate mounting bracket defining a slot so the bracket may be attached to a mounting location on the bow. The mounting location is generally a tapped hole in the bow handle and the bracket secured by a fastener such as a bolt. The bracket is normally mounted in a generally horizontal position above the grip of the bow and is locked in a position by a set screw. An arm is pivotally secured to the outer end of the bracket. The arm pivots about the end of a bolt that extends through a threaded bore in the bracket so that, by turning the bolt in one direction or the other, the spacing between the bracket and pivot arm can be selectively adjusted to accommodate the particular bow and the preference of the user.
A torsion spring biases the pivot arm to a generally downward or vertical position with respect to the bracket. A stop pin extends from the bracket and will engage a projection on the arm when the arm is rotated to a generally horizontal position as the bowstring is drawn.
An arrow support is carried on a shaft extending from the end of the pivot arm. The arrow support includes a spool having opposite rims forming a generally V-shape or U-shape seat in which the shaft of the arrow rests. The pivot arm also has a connector for one end of a tether. The opposite end of the tether is attachable to the xe2x80x9cupxe2x80x9d bowstring or cable so that when an arrow is placed in a shooting position with the arrow shaft resting in the support and the bowstring drawn, the pivot arm will be caused to rotate upwardly bringing the arm to a generally horizontal position. When the bowstring is released, the tether is also released allowing the pivot arm, which carries the arrow support, to rapidly pivot or drop downwardly so it is in an out of the way position, avoiding interference with the launched arrow.
The arrow rest of the present invention is adaptable to use with most conventional and compound bows and can be assembled for both right and left handed archers.